Lift lock mechanism

[Beerlifter]

On my '83 coleman columbia to lock the rook in the up position all there is a piece of stiff wire with a hook on it that is suppose to hook into the crank up shaft. It has been bent so badly that it just barely hooks into the hole and with all the ins and outs of camper I'm worried that it may vibrate out and down will come the roof. Does anyone know if this is the only way of locking the roof up (with out 2 x 4's). Even a picture of a similiar year coleman to give me some kind of idea what I need to order or fabricate would be nice.

I have tried to remove the wire to try and straighten it and re bend it but I just don't think this if factory or even that safe it is factory. There has got to be something missing. As of right now I have nothing to base what I need to do to correct this problem...Thanks in advance

[AustinBoston]

My Coleman is much newer and has a different mechanism, but one thing I have heard of you have come close to already - cutting a pair of poles (I've heard of broom handles being used) to put in two opposite corners.

As far as fixing your mechanism, I don't know.  Maybe if you posted a picture?

Austin

[Beerlifter]

Ok here is what came with the camper when purchased. Needless to say I don't like it at all.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553116517/2642806820041425739wNFzzc

http://community.webshots.com/photo/553116517/2830361430041425739OdBnWt

The roof seemed to stay put fairly well until I lubed the wiffle tree now with even the slightest rocking it will come down one or two inches if the wire comes out of the hole. I popped the wire off the bolt so I could run it all the way thru the whole while I was working on it this weekend, didn't want it falling on my head!!

[brainpause]

I'm assuming you are not the original owner, when I say that those pictures show a jerry-rigging, and not the way it was meant to be originally.

I'll try and describe, but this may be difficult:

My parents had a mid-70's Coleman that, after it was cranked up, it had a stiff metal hook that went over the top of the exposed shaft, and hooked on the stud on the opposite side, when cranked up. (The "loose" end of the hook was pointed in the same direction the shaft would have to turn for the roof to come down.) In this way, the roof/mechanism would have to pull that hook out of the outside "wall", strip the screw, before the roof would come down. Pretty neat, but simple and visible lock, I have always thought.

There were actually two "shafts" exposed on their camper. One was for cranking, one was for the locking mechanism described above. When you cranked up and got near the top, you just over-cranked a tiny bit, set the hook, and let the roof come down a bit until the hook was tight around the stud/shaft.

Does this make sense? If not, I can try and draw something, although I'm not an artist.

Larry

[Beerlifter]

Yes it does make sense... There is the hole that the existing wire is ran through it the picture. I suppose I could buy a longer pin and put in that hole and hook the wire on it. Just doesn't look too safe the way it is.

This is the only cranking shaft on this model coleman. So I will have to make do with what I have and make it as safe as possible.

Like I had said earlier, it wasn't much of a concern until I lubed the wiffle tree and it goes up and DOWN so much easier. I hadn't noticed it until last time out I thought I had it latched but my door wouldn't go up. The door was 2in taller than the door opening,,,,,I thought I can't be that out of level. Of course the LAST thing I checked was to make sure the camper was cranked up all the way and sure enough it had dropped down that much because of the locking mechanism had failed.

[tlhdoc]

My mid 80's Coleman had the same locking mechanism that Larry spoke of.  Simple but it worked.

[Beerlifter]

Does anyone have pictures of what a stock mechanism looks like so I could get a vague idea of what one is suppose to look like.

[tknick]

We had a 83 Columbia inherited from the inlaws many years ago.  Larry and Tracy both described what I remember from the lift mechanism.  As I rememeber, the hook was bolted to the camper with the hex nut you have in the picture.  The exposed hook then hooked onto a pin that was sticking out of the shaft used to crank the roof up.  The pin was the same pin the slot in the handle used to apply torque to the shaft.  on ours, you would crank the roof all the way up, hook the roof latch to the exposed pin and gently slide the crank out from under the hook.  Because the open part of the hook faced in the direction to raise the roof, the only way the roof would fall was for the roof to rise approx 1" (on its own), the hook to be removed.

Hope this helps....It's very clear inside my head, just not so much on this screen

travis